Critic Reviews

• Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

  The effect is stunningly effective, submerging us in a snowy, frozen, barren land with few options but plenty of opportunities for trouble. It is an offbeat gem.

• Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

  An authentic look at life in remote Alaska (the film was shot with a native cast in MacLean's hometown of Barrow) and at a people grappling with drugs, alcoholism, poverty and the limits of an unforgiving environment.

• Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

  If only because of the setting, this is an uncommonly involving thriller. I could call it a film noir, except that the sun never sets in the film.

• Sara Stewart, New York Post

  Unfortunately, the emotional landscape of MacLean's stoic main character, Qalli, is often as blank as the tundra.

• Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

  While Mr. Irelan and a few of the supporting players have some solid moments (the entire cast consists of nonprofessionals), the general vibe is too stilted to convince.

• John Anderson, Wall Street Journal

  A sturdy vehicle for unadorned morality and pragmatic justice.

• Chris Fyvie, The Skinny

  Set in a remote Alaskan village, the film's great strength is making the landscape utterly extraordinary to the audience but painfully mundane to its protagonists.

• Marshall Fine, Hollywood & Fine

  Stark, unadorned, timeless and yet of the moment. Wear your mittens.

• Alison Willmore, AV Club

  The film is as much a portrait of a place as it is a narrative, and cinematographer Lol Crawley shoots the white-on-white polar expanses like they're vistas stretching to the ends of the earth...

• Kenji Fujishima, Slant Magazine

  DP Lol Crawley's best efforts can't quite overcome the rather awkward performances of the film's mostly nonprofessional cast.

Read all 10 critic reviews